My Father's Letters & Poems

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The Lord's Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

The Best Gift

Jesus said, "this is how you should pray: 'Our father...'" These two word loudly proclaim the way in which we must relate to God. If an earthly father exemplifies the caring concern and the love of our heavenly Father, then he has fulfilled God's demand on him in his role as a father.

My dad gave me a perspective of the Father's loving care which has endued me with a preparedness to receive from the Father's hand as an adult. Full understanding of what it means to rest in the arms of the One who wants only the best for His children is truly knowing God and is absolutely prerequisite to trusting Him. It is the very foundation of the Christian life.

I never wondered if I was important to my Dad or if my concern and problems mattered to him. (far be it from my mind!) As far as I was concerned, whatever was going on in my life was on the top of his priority list! How I felt inside, my hurts, my care - he was never too busy to hear about them. (And it never crossed my mind that he might be.)

What more important gift could a father give his children than to be a living example of the Father's love?

Thank you, Dad. You gave me "The Best Gift", an understanding of "Our father".

C.D.

"Growing up, you always made me feel so special - the way you treated me,

 the way you cared about what I had to say,

or how I was feeling. In every way, you make me feel valued!

What a great gift. I think the world of you!"

C.C.

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"Mother To Son"
Written by Langston Hughes
Beloved American Poet

"Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it.
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor -
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back,
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now -
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin'
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair."


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